Lighthouse
by Jazlynn
Summary: When Marluxia is asked to go explore a new world, he never expected to end up in a place like Newfoundland. There, he meets an intriguing woman who wants absolutely nothing to do with him. He soon finds out why when he is entangled in her life. MarluxiaOC
1. A Documentary

Hey! This is my first story here on Anyways, This story will have it's ups and downs but I will guarantee that there will always be some humor in each chapter. This chapter is kind of short so I hope you don't mind. Enjoy! ♥

**Disclaimer:** Jazlynn does not own Kingdom Hearts or any of the characters within the game. However, she does own all the OCs in this story.

**Lighthouse**

**Chapter 1**

Written by: Jazlynn

_Soft rain falls silently upon a dark city, illuminated by neon lights and the eerie glow of a glorious white castle. Dark little critters skittered across the many streets and alleyways of this city, hiding in the shadows, waiting for lone prey to stroll by. These streets are their home, yet they do not dare to approach the castle. They do not dare cross the crystal path that leads to the castles entrance. One may ask why they fear this castle. They fear not the castle, but what lurks within. Silver creatures that are more fearsome roam this castle. Yet they are only servants to those who truly own the castle._

_Organization XIII; a group of incomplete people who have lost their hearts to the darkness that consumes this world, they are the owners of this castle. They are a group so powerful that they are feared by all. Each new day, the one beauty that each and every member has come to admire, the heart of all worlds, Kingdom Hearts, gains more hearts and becomes closer to completion. Their goal to become whole beings is closer than any of them would ever imagine. Very soon, their magnificent leader, Xemnas, will lead them to a glorious future where they will rule over all!_

"Oh my gosh, turn it off! I think my ears are bleeding!"

Laughter echoed throughout the room as four Nobodies were gathered around a TV with video cassettes sprawled out all across the floor. It was a Sunday afternoon and there were no missions to be done for any members of Organization XIII.

"What was the Superior thinking when making these _documentaries_? They're so horrible that they're funny to watch. Axel, where did you find these?"

A blonde fifteen year old nudged his red-haired friend in the side when asking his question. Axel smirked before replying.

"Roxas, when you've been in the Organization for a while, you know where to find good entertainment. I know that you're new and still adjusting to being a Nobody and all, but I promise you that I will teach all there is to know about getting around what our superiors want without getting caught."

"Yeah, Axel taught Marluxia and I all there is to know about getting around rules and getting out of missions."

Roxas's eyes fell upon the two other Nobodies in the room. There was Demyx, the one with sandy brown hair and a stupid grin on his face who had just spoken, and then there was Marluxia, the quieter one out of the bunch with light brown hair with a pinkish tinge to it.

Marluxia, himself, didn't know why he was hanging out with these three. They were all bound to get a bad reputation with their superiors if they kept this up. Maybe he was just sticking around so that Axel wouldn't get Roxas into any trouble. That fate had fallen upon him when he joined the organization. He didn't doubt that it had fallen upon Demyx as well. It seemed to him that Demyx, Roxas and himself were the naïve members of Organization XIII and Axel was the cocky one who thought that he could help them all out in becoming more like him.

The door swung open and a young femme entered the room, her teal eyes scanning the four Nobodies in her presence. A catlike smile slyly crept onto her face as she spotted Marluxia. She made no hesitation in walking over to him and planting herself in his lap. She looked up at him with a smile and then looked over at the other three.

"Hello, boys. What are you up to?"

Axel answered before anyone else. "Why, we're up to absolutely nothing."

"Oh, cut the crap, Axel. I know you guys are up to something and I want in on it. Don't you trust me?

A dangerous smirk crossed Axel's face as if he were about to do something that he knew would put his life in jeopardy. "Larxene, I don't trust anything that bleeds for seven days and doesn't die."

Larxene's eyes flashed with anger and then her expression turned into a smirk that could match Axel's. "You better watch that mouth of yours, hotrod. You're playing with fire and you're gunna regret it."

"Sounds like a challenge that I look forward to winning."

Larxene rolled her eyes and got off Marluxia's lap. She stood up and headed over to the door. She turned to look at Axel once more before leaving. "Then it starts."

The room was enveloped in silence as the nymph left. The first to speak after a few long moments was Demyx. "Axel, you're a dead man. Either that, or a castrated one."

It wasn't long before Axel responded to Demyx's statement. "Well, I've never lost a challenge yet and I don't plan on losing one to _her_."

"You have fun with that then, Axel." A smirk crossed Marluxia's face as if he knew something that Axel didn't. Oh, how he loved dramatic irony. "Although, you may not live long enough to even face Larxene in that little challenge."

Without another word, Marluxia was enveloped in a dark misty haze, leaving his companions to sit in wonder and confusion. They soon discovered what Marluxia meant when the door swung open and a silver-haired, golden-eyed man walked into the room and eyed the video cassettes on the floor. Axel tried to smile an innocent little grin before greeting his superior. "Why, hello there, Xemnas."


	2. Lynn Doyle

Here's the second chapter for you. This chapter has no Marluxia in it. Sorry. This one is a bit longer and will give some background to two other main characters. I'll try to update as quickly as I can. ♥

**Lighthouse**

**Chapter 2**

Written by: Jazlynn

Lynn Doyle was a typical 21 year old person living in a typical world with a typical lifestyle. She lived in a decent house, had a decent education, and went to work everyday. She worked at a classy restaurant and was known to be an amazing chef. So, if she was such an amazing chef, why on earth was her boss freaking out on her? She rubbed her temples as his voice kept on booming through the kitchen, wondering when this nightmare would be over. She was already getting a headache from the ponytail that held her light brown hair up on a bun on her head. Really, this whole situation seemed silly to her. One complaint and he was on her like a fly to a dead animal.

"Mr. Brown, the situation isn't as bad as it seems. That man was only complaining because his kid threw a dinner mint in his soup and he wanted to blame it on one of the employees."

"Don't try to be smart with me, Lynn! I've worked here much longer than you have and I know when _one_ of the chefs here is messing around!"

Lynn's jaw almost dropped in shock at what she had just heard. He was accusing _her_ of _messing around_? Was he serious? And since when was a few months much longer than she had been working here? Her temper began to rise with every word her boss said.

"Mr. Brown, please, I would never do that! I would never serve a customer anything that I wouldn't eat myself!"

"Then customers that have their food made by you must not have been fed well!"

Lynn's green eyes rolled as her patience snapped. She was sick of this guy as well as this job. "Go suck a lemon."

She pulled off the apron she was wearing and threw in on the floor in obvious rage. However, she kept a calm façade when turning and walking out the door while pulling her hair out of that ridiculous bun and letting it fall over her shoulders. The job paid well but she wasn't about to deal with the crap that she had to deal with every single day. She hated that man with a passion and she would no longer have to deal with him.

Lynn stepped outside of the restaurant and was instantly greeted by the welcoming smell of the ocean air. She breathed in the cool evening air and smiled. She loved living in this area. When she walked out of that place, she felt as if a burden had been lifted off her shoulders. She held her head high and proudly strode over to her trendy, little, silver sports car. As she reached for the handle, her attention was drawn to a little piece of yellow paper on the windshield. She picked it up and her eyes widened in shock. _A ticket?_ Why did she get a ticket? Oh, _riiight_, she parked in the middle of two parking spaces because some idiots decided to park oddly. She let out a frustrated groan before getting into her car and slamming the door shut. She sat there for a few minutes trying to sort out her thoughts and find out exactly where she was going. Eventually, she started the car and drove out onto the street. She kept driving until the horizon of blue and gold was visible. The fresh ocean air was far too alluring for her to resist and watching a sunset on the beach might help her to relax.

She yawned as she got out of the car. It was a little after 8:30 and she would have to head home before it got too dark. She ran down to the shore, kicked off her shoes, rolled up her jeans, and ran into the crashing waves. The cool water felt good on her feet after being at work for the past five hours. She laughed as the water splashed her, causing her jeans to become soaked. So much for trying to stay dry. She stopped playing in the water for a moment to think about the few events that had happened in the past three years.

Everything had been so perfect. Her family was naturally drawn to the ocean so it was no surprise that she had fallen in love with a sailor employed under her father. They loved each other dearly and became more in love each and every day. Sometimes, her mother had told her that the love she had with that young sailor man was so deep that it was like the ocean itself. That saying had always made her smile and knew that she was meant for him. It wasn't long before he asked her to marry him. She accepted his proposal and they were wed a few months later. They lived together for a wonderful year that was filled with such love and devotion. And then the accident happened. Her father and her husband as well as many other men from the towns in this area went onto a barge to go fishing off the coast. They were to be gone for a few days as usually expected for a fishing trip. The days soon passed and eventually, it had been over a week before news had reached Lynn's ears. There was a terrible storm out in the ocean and the barge caught fire. Only a few men survived—Lynn's father and husband weren't part of that group. Her and her mother both went into a state of depression for a long time and while Lynn slowly began to recover, her mother's condition worsened. It wasn't long before more news reached Lynn about her mother committing suicide. If there was nothing left for her, Lynn would have done the same. There was one other person thrown into the mix that caused her to choose live over death—her little six year old sister, Kayla.

Another thought rose in her mind that made her feel sick to her stomach. She had custody over Kayla and she had just lost her job. Her hand flew over her mouth and tears sprang to her eyes. It wouldn't be long until the social worker found out about this. Kayla wouldn't be taken away, would she? She wouldn't be able to bear it if that happened. She would have no one left. Her life would be over as she knew it. A large wave came crashing onto her and drenched her purple t-shirt. She gasped from the sudden cold and looked out at the horizon. The sun was sinking beneath the ocean and the tide had come in rather quickly. She turned to find that the water had reached out so much that her shoes were now covered in water and sand. For the second time that night, an aggravated groan escaped her lips. _This was just peachy, wasn't it?_ She ran over and retrieved her shoes before making her way back to her car. She was wet, upset, and jobless. How was her sister going to react to her when she got home? Well, she would soon find out.

It seemed like an eternity of driving before Lynn pulled up the driveway to her little house. The house was situated on a little hill by the ocean that was isolated from the city and other houses. The closest house was a ten minute drive away and the city was a 20 minute drive away. Her husband wanted this so that their kids would someday grow up to love the ocean more than anything else. Lynn claimed that she wasn't very sure about the idea but it was what she wanted for her kids as well. Now the only child she would have in her life was Kayla.

As if on cue, the six year old ran out of the house with a big smile on her face. Lynn couldn't help but smile as well. It was a well known fact that Kayla's smiles were very contagious. Lynn quickly parked the car and ran out to meet her sister. She picked the child up and spun her around a few times before putting her back down on the ground. Kayla squealed in delight before tugging her sister towards the house.

"Common, sis, I'm hungry! Make me some food!"

Lynn followed her sister's lead while smiling and suppressing a laugh. "What happened to that leftover spaghetti that I told you to eat? You knew that I was going to be working tonight."

Kayla responded her question with a disgusted, "Bleh!"

The laugh escaped from Lynn's lips. "Alright, alright, I'll make you some food. What do you want?"

Kayla turned around with a big grin plastered on her face as they entered the house. "Pancakes!"

"Pancakes?! Wouldn't you rather have pancakes tomorrow morning instead?"

The child shook her head and headed to the fridge to pull out the needed ingredients. It amazed Lynn how much she had rubbed off on her sister. Kayla already knew all the ingredients she needed for all the different desserts that she likes and was very good at helping Lynn in the kitchen. Hell, the kid could even make a Caesar Salad if asked to!

Knowing that there was no changing Kayla's mind about having late night pancakes, Lynn simply got a bowl and measuring cup out of the cupboards and grabbed a wooden mixing spoon from the drawers.

"So, how was school today, Kayla?" Lynn asked curiously in an attempt to make conversation.

"It was alright. Maggie got in trouble for reading a book during math class again."

"Oh really?" Lynn messed around with Kayla's hair before continuing. "_You_ would never do something like that and get in trouble, would you?"

Kayla laughed before shaking her head. "I like to draw pictures of the sea instead of reading but I don't let the teacher catch me."

"Kayla!" Lynn tried to sustain a look of disappointment at this revelation.

"What? What did I do?"

"You need to pay attention in class, you know that!" Although Lynn was trying to keep Kayla on track, she was glad that her family's love for the ocean had rubbed off on her. Nothing else made her happier.

Soon, the pancakes were done and the sisters were happily eating away. Lynn felt a lot happier now that she was at home and the events that happened earlier seemed to have faded away. There was absolutely nothing that could ruin this night.

Then the phone rang.

Lynn got up and grabbed the receiver. In a cheerful tone of voice she greeted the person on the other line, "Hello! Lynn speaking, how may I help you?"

She instantly paled as the voice on the other line responded the greeting. It was the social worker. "M-Mrs. Schaff!" Lynn couldn't help but look back over at Kayla who was now listening intently on the parts of the conversation she would be able to hear. Lynn knew what was coming. She knew that Kayla was going to hate her no matter what happened over this phone call. She turned back to face the wall, not able to look at Kayla. "Yes… I-I did. … I know, I know, it's just that— … y-yes, I understand. … I'll look for one tomorrow, I promise. … Yes, thank you, Mrs. Schaff. … Alright, goodbye."

Lynn breathed in shaky breaths as she turned back to face Kayla. She had to tell her that she lost her job. "Kayla, I… I need to tell you something. I… kind of cut out of work a little early and… I won't be going back there."

"You lost your job?"

Lynn slowly nodded. "Mrs. Schaff told me that I need to go find a new job as soon as possible so that I can still support you."

Kayla looked down at her plate and Lynn just knew that she wanted to cry. That job was what was keeping them together for so long. If she couldn't find another one, Kayla would be taken away. Lynn watched Kayla leave the kitchen and head up the stairs to her room. Tears formed in Lynn's eyes as she grabbed a newspaper from the table. Flipping to the classified section, she let out a heavy sigh. She needed a miracle. Either that or a job.


	3. The Mission

Hey guys! I'm back with another chapter for you. This one has Marly in it and I'm sorry if it's kind of short. There just isn't much to write about in the World that Never Was. The next chapter will probably be much longer so just be patient and don't forget to review! ♥ By the way, you might want to keep in mind some of the information in this chapter from the second paragraph. It will play an essential part in the next chapter.

**Lighthouse**

**Chapter 3**

Written by: Jazlynn

Marluxia had appeared in his garden shortly after leaving Axel, Roxas and Demyx. He saw the superior coming down the hall as Larxene was leaving and there was absolutely no way that he would allow himself to get caught. He wasn't going to give himself a bad reputation within the organization. One of these days he would get much more respect than was given to him. One of these days, _he_ would rule over the organization. _Right_, there was some wishful thinking.

With a smile, he began to walk through his garden. This was the place that gave him such pride and it was the closest thing to making him happy. He disliked the feeling of emptiness where there should have been emotions. All he had were his memories now—sweet memories of times when he was truly happy, memories that would be his to cherish and that no one else would know; memories of _her_. As he approached his roses he stopped to recall the woman he once loved. Her name was Theresa. She had brown hair with a gentle curl and her eyes were the most gorgeous shade of green that he had ever seen. She loved it when he gave her roses. He had fallen in love with her and he was sure that she felt the same. Then she ended up breaking his heart and running off with another guy. It was because of her that he turned his heart to the darkness—because of her that he lost his heart. The first thing that he would do when he got his heart back was to go out and kill the stupid bastard who stole her away from him.

He pulled himself out of his thoughts and continued to walk through the gardens. A smirk crossed his face when he wondered about what happened with his companions. Taken by curiosity, he headed to the exit of the greenhouse which kept his garden safe. He would take the long way this time. He entered the Castle that Never Was and looked around. It seemed so bland to his garden. He sighed before simply shrugging it off and continuing his search for Axel. He didn't have to look very long. He found Axel, Roxas and Demyx lazing around the Hall of Empty Melodies. Axel and Roxas just looked bored while Demyx was sitting on the floor strumming his sitar. Their eyes all shifted to Marluxia as he approached them.

"So… did you get in trouble?" He asked as if he was against the idea the whole time.

"Worse." Demyx muttered.

Axel continued where Demyx left off. "We were praised on 'watching such a masterpiece that will help us to be better members of Organization XIII.' How could you ditch us like that?"

Marluxia simply shrugged. He didn't get the chance to respond to Axel's question before Saïx entered the hall.

"Marluxia! The superior would like to see you."

Marluxia turned to see the expressions of Axel, Roxas and Demyx turn into grins of delight. There were only a few reasons that Marluxia could think of, that were causing them to smile. Either they had told Xemnas that he was with them or they figured that he would have to endure something akin to what they had to endure. Marluxia didn't care either way. –Just as long as he would be left alone for the rest of the day.

He silently followed Saïx further into the castle. He began to wonder what it really was that the superior wanted him for. It couldn't have been a mission, could it? No, it was Sunday. There were usually _never_ any missions on Sundays. More and more questions plagued his mind as he approached the Alter of Naught. Very soon, the superior came into view, marveling at the half-completed Kingdom Hearts. It still had a long way to go before it was finally complete but Xemnas seemed to have some obsession with it nonetheless.

Xemnas turned to acknowledge Marluxia and Saïx's presence and then dismissed the Luna Diviner. He motioned for Marluxia to come closer while looking up at Kingdom Hearts. Marluxia obeyed, still not quite sure what Xemnas wanted.

"Marluxia, I need you to go on a mission."

Marluxia's eyes widened in shock. No way. He didn't want to go on any missions right now! He should've just said 'no' and left without another word. Unfortunately, he never really was the type to be bold about refusing missions. "What's the mission, superior?"

"Vexen has discovered something quite interesting about the world, Atlantica. It isn't just a world that is 'under the sea.' It is part of a world that is much bigger—much bigger than any other world that already exists. I want you to go find out more about this world."

"You want me to go find out more about some world because…?"

Xemnas turned to face Marluxia with a serious expression on his face. "It will give us the upper hand if the Keyblade Wielder ever discovers this world. Also, if you accept this mission, you will lead the upcoming project in Castle Oblivion. Do you accept?"

Xemnas was giving him the chance to lead half of the organization if he accepted this mission? Well, that made his choice a lot easier. He had wanted leadership for a long time now. Exploring some new world wouldn't be that bad either.

"I accept."


	4. A Little More than Awkward ::Part One::

Hey guys! I'm back with another chapter! Yeah, this took me forever to complete, I know. I blame it on my Career Studies class at school. So much freaking homework! x.x Well, school is over for me now so hopefully I'll keep up with this story. Anyways, this one should hopefully be longer than the others. Review and I will love you forever! ♥

**Lighthouse**

**Chapter 4**

Written by: Jazlynn

Darkness enveloped a small room where a girl lay motionless in her bed. She shifted slightly as the door opened and light feet shuffled across the floor. With the swift flick of the wrist, the blinds shot up and the room was shed in light. The bed's occupant groaned and opened her eyes to find… her older sister jumping up and down with an excited expression on her face.

"Wake up! Wake up! Time's a wasting! You've got school today! Get up! Get up! Get up!"

Lynn pranced over to the side of her sister's bed and shook her. Kayla merely groaned once more and tried to pull the covers over her head. Not pleased with the girls 'ecstatic' antics of waking up, Lynn pulled the blankets off the bed and watched her sister shiver. If the cold wouldn't wake her up, Lynn knew exactly what would work. Without a word of warning, she jumped on the bed and started tickling Kayla. Screams of surprise and utter anguish echoed throughout the room.

"Common, you lazy bum! Breakfast is ready!" Lynn exclaimed as she allowed her sister to get up to her feet. "Get dressed and meet me in the kitchen!"

Lynn ran out of the room and headed down the stairs, filled to the brim with excitement for breakfast. This would be amusing. She headed into the kitchen and opened the fridge. An orange Tupperware container on the second shelf greeted her and she grinned deviously. She continued to pull it out of the fridge and grab two plates from the cupboard. She placed the contents of the container on the plates and then threw the empty container in the sink. She placed one of the plates in the microwave and set the timer. As the time passed, Jazlynn snuck a peek at the stairs with every chance she got. Eventually a beep sounded from the microwave and she quickly switched the plates. She set the timer for the second plate just as Kayla walked into the kitchen. With a look of glee, Lynn turned and placed the plate in front of her sister. Lynn almost laughed at the expression she got from her sister. It looked like a mix of disgust, agony and denial.

"Leftover spaghetti? Are you serious?" She cried out.

"You said that you wanted pancakes last night so we are having leftover spaghetti this morning." Lynn replied calmly.

The microwave beeped once more and she turned to get her breakfast. She brought the plate over to the table and watched gleefully as Kayla ate the spaghetti. Sure, the kid was becoming a pro at cooking but she had a bad tendency of wasting food. Lynn made sure that no food was wasted in this house—not while she was living there anyways.

Soon, both plates were empty and Kayla was getting ready for school. A bus usually came by to pick up Kayla each morning so Lynn wouldn't have to drive into town every morning. A bus would usually bring Kayla back home as well but today would be different. Since Lynn would spend this day job searching, she'd be able to pick Kayla up when her school let out. Both girls let out a sigh as they sat on the white wooden porch outside of their house. Lynn needed to find a job. She really, really did. She didn't know what she would do if Kayla was taken away from her. She looked up as a yellow school bus came rolling by. It stopped in front of the house and Kayla headed down the path to board. Lynn quickly jumped up as she got on the bus.

"Don't forget, I'm coming to pick you up after school today!"

"Okay!"

Without another word, Kayla was in the bus and it slowly drove away. Lynn let out another sigh as she walked back into the house. A sense of loneliness washed over her as she looked over the empty hallway. There was no one there to greet her like there had been a year ago—no—it was longer than that, but only by a few days. Lynn entered the kitchen and walked over to the calendar hanging on the wall. Tomorrow was the 28th of May. There were two anniversaries on that day that she knew all to well. Tears threatened to spring to her eyes and she moved her gaze from the calendar on the wall to the newspaper on the table. She grabbed the paper and her keys and then ran out the door. She hopped into her car and started her drive into town. She had no time to dwell on the upcoming day. She needed to find a job.

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It seemed like hours had passed since Marluxia had come to this new world and all that he found was water—lots of water. In fact, he was surrounded by water and was losing a lot of his strength to just stay above the water. It was a good thing that he knew how to swim well; otherwise, he would have already drowned. He shivered as he glanced around at his surroundings. No surprise, all he saw was water. If he had a heart, he would feel regret for ever taking on this mission.

At times he wondered if he should just go back to the World that Never Was. Then again, if he came back looking like a drowned rat then his chances of getting rule over Castle Oblivion would be bleak and he would be the laughing stock of the organization… not that he wasn't before. He was used to being called names from other members and it was all because his hair had a pink tinge to it. If he had the chance, he would willingly change the colour of his hair.

Marluxia breathed in deeply and found it hard to get enough air. The water was so cold that he found it hard to breath. He felt himself sink under the water and he struggled to get back above the surface. His body went into a state of panic yet he felt no fear. He was tempted to open a portal but he refrained. Unfortunately, he still had a sense of pride that wouldn't allow him to leave the mission. He looked around frantically for anything that might be able to help him stay alive for the moment. Even a piece of driftwood would suffice.

After a moment, something came into view in the distance. There was hope! Using all the energy he had left, Marluxia swam as fast as he could towards the object. He was amazed at how far he had been able to swim within a few seconds. It seemed as if someone was helping him and keeping him above water, only, no one else was there. As he got closer to what would hopefully be his life saver, he discovered that the object he was pursuing was a boat. A boat! There were usually people on boats! As he got closer, he began to shout out for help. His voice didn't sound as strong as it usually was. It seemed weak and soft. He almost thought that the sailors would miss him completely.

Movement became evident on the boat and Marluxia could hear people shouting and looking over at him. They threw something out to him and it landing in the water nearby. Instinctively, he grabbed onto the round item and waited as the men on the boat pulled him aboard. He fell onto hard wood and he breathed in deep breaths. It felt good to just lie there and not do anything. He had been in this world for only a short time and already he had almost drowned. He heard an older man trying to talk to him so he lifted his head and looked up at him. His eyes seemed to be laced with concern and a few other men stood behind him with the same expressions.

"Boy, are you alright?" He asked. Marluxia nodded slowly and pushed himself up into a sitting position. He found that he was shivering a lot. The man who had helped him seemed to notice this as well and turned to one of him men.

"Jeff, go get this man a towel and some dry clothes!"

The sailor now known as Jeff nodded and ran off into the ships cabin. Marluxia's eyes followed the sailor before shifting his gaze back to the other man kneeling before him. Marluxia didn't know much about sailing and boats but he knew that this man seemed to be the head honcho on this boat, or, in other words, the captain. The captain stood and extended his hand to Marluxia. He gratefully took it and allowed the captain to pull him up to his feet. The sailor, Jeff, came running back on deck and handed Marluxia a towel and some clothes. He wrapped the towel around himself and gave a soft thank you to Jeff before turning back to the captain.

"I'm Mark, the captain of this ship and this is me crew." He stated in a friendly-like manner whilst stretching out his hand to shake Marluxia's.

"Thanks for helping me out." Marluxia said while shaking Mark's hand. "I'm…" Marluxia paused. He couldn't say that his name was Marluxia. It seemed out of place for this world. He searched his mind for a decent name before remembering that he could use his true name, the name he used before he lost his heart. "…Liam. I was on a cruise and I fell overboard."

The captain frowned. "That's strange. I don't recall there being any cruise ships in this area. Whereabouts are you from, Liam?"

Crap. How was Marluxia going to make his story seem real? He quickly thought up a solution to the statement about the cruise but he was still working on an answer to the captain's question. "Well, I fell off the ship last night and I've been swimming for hours. I… I really can't remember anything that happened before that. I feel like such a wreck."

Marluxia placed his hand on his forehead as if he were desperately trying to remember. He wasn't much of an actor but whatever he did or said seemed to make the captain believe him.

"That's quite a shame. I'll help you out as best as I can. There's a town a few hours away where I know someone who might be able to help you out even more and give you a place to stay until you can remember."

Marluxia smiled gratefully at the captain. "Thank you so much. If there's any way that I can repay you then just let me know."

"Don't worry. Hospitality doesn't cost a thing around here. It simply comes from the good that is in a person's heart."

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"Aww, Billy, common', I really need a job."

"I'm sorry Lynn but I just hired three people. I'm sorry."

Lynn sighed deeply as she spoke with her friend. She had already been to four different places and no one would hire her. She figured that she would have better luck asking Billy. Billy was a friend of hers from high school though when she was in grade 9, he was in grade 12. He graduated long before her and took over his father's little grocery store and Lynn figured that he would be the best choice to go to in case he could offer her a job. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

"Do you know anywhere where I might have a chance at getting a job?" She asked helplessly.

Billy regretfully shook his head. "I can't name any specific places right now. Maybe you should try and go back to doing your old job?" Lynn gave him a look of disgust. "Then again, I can probably call you up if I hear of any job openings, does that sound good?"

"Yeah, I guess." Lynn sighed once more. She shouldn't have gotten mad at her boss. But it was his fault for blitzing on her. She looked up at the sky and then towards the pier. "Well then, I'm going to keep searching. I'll talk to you later, Billy."

Lynn left the little store and headed over to her car. Hopping in, she looked back down to the pier. Maybe she could find work over there. She was even willing to become a sailor for a while if it meant keeping Kayla. As she started down the road, she just hoped that Captain Mark was there. He and her father had been best friends and he was one of the lucky ones who made it out of that storm that took her father and husband's lives. She slowed her car to a stop and jumped outside.

She looked around the pier and frowned. She didn't see Mark's boat anywhere. She walked around the docks to try and find someone to give Mark a message from her. He had to be coming back soon. The 28th was tomorrow and Mark would never miss the memorial. She sighed in defeat when she found no one around. She walked back to her car feeling rather down. Today wasn't going as planned. Maybe Billy was right. Maybe she should go back to her old job and apologize to Mr. Brown. Oh, she would be like a lamb to the slaughter if she did that. Still… it didn't hurt to try. She hopped back into her car and headed back up to her old work. To bad that she missed seeing the boat that appeared on the horizon.

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Marluxia stood at the front of the boat as land came into view. It was afternoon and the sun was shining bright so his clothes managed to dry fairly quickly. The outfit he was given to wear was so tacky that it sickened Marluxia to wear it. He was glad to be back in his regular Organization XIII outfit. Captain Mark had also been very helpful to Marluxia. He managed to tell him that this little town was called Twillingate in a place called Newfoundland. To be honest, he was looking forward to exploring this place. It would be interesting, that was for sure.

It wasn't long before the boat came to the pier and it wasn't long before Marluxia was off the boat and back on solid ground. Well, _technically_, he was still standing on wood but he was close enough to the ground so he didn't care. Mark walked up behind Marluxia and pushed him forward slightly.

"Alright, Liam, I'm going te call me friend and see if we can make arrangements for you te stay over there. Me house is nearby so I won't be long. Just wait here, alright?"

Marluxia nodded, almost forgetting that he had told Mark that his name was Liam. He watched the man run off and he looked up at the town. The main part of it was around the top of a hill and the pier was around the bottom which seemed to be like the outskirts of town. Nonetheless, it still seemed like a cheerful place to be. This whole place seemed to have uplifting vibes or something along the lines of that.

After about ten minutes of waiting, Mark returned and frowned in Marluxia's direction. "There was no answer. I can try again later if you want te stick around for a while."

Marluxia looked back up at the town before replying. "Well, I'd like to look around a little bit, if you don't mind. Can I come back later?"

"Sure thing!" The captain said smiling. "Do you have any money?"

Marluxia hadn't even thought about bringing munny. He was such an idiot! How was he supposed to get food and other necessary items without munny? He sighed before shaking his head. "No, I don't. I lost all of my stuff back on the ship I was on."

"I see…" Mark pulled out five pieces of paper out of his pocket and handed them to Marluxia. "Here, take this. Consider it a gift."

Marluxia looked at the pieces of paper that Mark had given him. There was a woman's face on it and a "20" in two corners on each side of each piece of paper. This wasn't munny. He looked up at Mark in confusion. He was probably going to look like an idiot for asking this question. "What is it?"

It looked as if Mark was going to laugh at him. It was a good thing that Marluxia looked really confused otherwise, he wouldn't have been taken seriously.

"Well, if you can't tell that that's money then you mustn't be from Canada. I take it that the currency is different where you live." Mark walked over to Marluxia and took one of the pieces of paper. "This," he started, "is a twenty dollar bill. The smallest number you can get with dollars in one. Anything lower is cents. 100 cents is one dollar. So I've just given you $100.oo which is quite a lot of money considering the fact that Canadian currency is worth more than currency from other countries. Do you understand?"

Marluxia nodded. He still didn't quite understand the whole concept of the whole currency thing but more of the questions he had been pondering had been answered. Canada was known as a country and there are many more countries. So now all Marluxia was wondering was how many countries are there in this world?

"Well, I have te go help the crew unload the ship and then get home to me wife. I haven't seen her in quite a few days."

"Alright, thanks again, Mark." Marluxia waved a farewell to the captain before heading off towards the town. Finally, he could get to work on his mission. He had already learned a lot about this world but now he would just need to find out about it in detail.

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"So you think that you can just waltz back in here and think that I'll welcome you with open arms and give you your job back? 'Go suck a lemon' you said. Do you really think that I enjoyed hearing that suggestion?"

"No."

Lynn knew that she shouldn't have come back. What made her think that she could get her job back after she walked out last night? There was absolutely no way that Mr. Brown would let her get her job back. She braced herself as her former boss was about to let out another little shpeal.

"Are you really so insensitive to make a mockery of me? Lynn Doyle, you are a fool. I know that you've questioned my superiority over you but you cannot take out your anger on me. You think that you're so special and can get everything that you want just because you have to take care of your sister. I'm sure that a foster home would be able to raise her much better than you. Also, your dead husband must be glad that he could escape from you and your absurd ways—"

"Shut up!"

Anger flared within Lynn's eyes. She would not stand for this. She would not stand for her ex-employer to question her abilities on how to raise Kayla and she would certainly not allow him to question the love her husband had for her. He loved her 'till the day he died. Mr. Brown just wasn't worth her time. She quickly turned away and stormed out the doors. Never again would she walk into that horrible place, never again.

She walked over to a bench behind the restaurant and sat down. She buried her face in her hands and tears cascaded down her cheeks. Her whole body was shaking with rage for what Mr. Brown had said about her husband, and fear for thinking that what Mr. Brown said about her abilities to raise Kayla might be true.

Speaking of Kayla, she would have to pick her up soon. It was almost 3:00. She breathed in deeply and wiped the tears from her eyes. She would really have to calm herself and make herself seem more presentable. Kayla was allowed to see her when she was angry but she refused to let Kayla see her depressed. She stood up and breathed in deeply once more. She was better now. Well, that's what she thought.

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Marluxia walked the streets of Twillingate in wonder and amazement. The sense of community was really strong in this place. It seemed as if everyone knew everyone and every person who he had come across came and introduced themselves. He felt so welcomed in this world. It was kind of amusing, in a sense. People here got along much better than Organization XIII and Organization XIII was only made up of 13 people. But this was a community of over 1000 people, easily.

As he walked, he began to wonder. His home world was so different from this place. He liked this place so much more than his home world. Would he be able to live here after he got his heart back? He thought it would be ideal to live here. He could start his life over and forget about all of the horrible things that happened to him in his past life. Not to mention, he wouldn't be compelled to kill Theresa's new boyfriend, although, that sounded ideal to him as well. He began to wonder how Theresa was. Did she know that he was gone? Did she miss him? Did she regret leaving him? No, she didn't feel any regret for leaving him. She knew very well what she was doing when she left him. Marluxia remembered anger. It would be what he would be feeling right now if he had a heart. Well, she didn't matter at the moment because she wasn't exactly there.

Marluxia looked around his surroundings to find out whereabouts he was now. His eyes widened in shock as they fell upon a young woman with brown hair that had a gentle curl and eyes the most beautiful shade of green that he had ever seen. No way… it couldn't have been her, but… she looked exactly like Theresa. He calmed himself and collected his cool before he walked up behind her and slid his arm around her shoulders.

"So, Theresa, where's your pretty new boyfriend?" He asked. He didn't try to make it like that but each of his words seemed to be dripping with venom.

He felt her freeze as he spoke and he watched her turn to face him. At first it seemed like she was going to yell at him but when their eyes met, hers widened drastically and shock was definitely apparent on her face. So then she remembered him but what was she doing in this world of all places?

"E-excuse me?"

"Oh, don't you remember? It's me, Liam; your _ex_-boyfriend. So where's the guy that you so willingly ran off with?"

Marluxia watched as Theresa's expression turned into bitter glare. "I'm sorry but you have me mistaken for someone else. I've only ever loved one man and he wasn't you."

Okay, had he just accused the wrong person or was Theresa just trying to "break his heart" even more? If he continued this, he may cause more harm than good but if he apologized and just left, his pride would be wounded. Could Nobodies even have pride? His question was answered as his pride got the better of him.

"Thank you, Theresa. I'm glad that you still _care_ about me. Are you trying to deny that we were ever together?"

The woman pulled away from him and her eyes flashed with anger. "You have the wrong person!" She yelled out furiously. "My name is Lynn Doyle and I happen to be married, thank you very much!"

Marluxia realized that he had just made a really big mistake—especially when Lynn showed him the little band of gold that was on her left ring finger. Why was man such a stupid creature? He had no time to ponder on that because, apparently, Lynn wasn't finished talking to him.

"Next time you decide to talk like that to someone make sure that you have the _right_ person. By the way, there are only two Theresa's that I know of in this town. One is an 87 year old woman who is on her death bed and the other is a two month old baby! Good day, _Liam_."

With that, she stormed off and jumped into a silver sports car and drove off. Marluxia just stood there in shock. Hopefully he wouldn't run into her again any time soon. As he turned around and walked away, he couldn't help but wonder why she was so surprised when she saw him. Did he remind her of someone or was it just the shock from the actions that he took?

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Lynn was fuming as she got into her car. Who did that guy think he was? She started the car and drove off. Unfortunately, her anger was reflected in her driving. She couldn't believe that she had almost mistaken that guy for her_ husband_. Besides, that would never happen. Her husband was dead. Not to mention, her husband's hair was short and it didn't have a pink tinge to it.

She cringed when she discovered that she was driving way over the speed limit. She needed to calm herself down somehow. She slowed down and popped a CD into the stereo. _Consequence Free_ started playing and Lynn smiled as she heard the voice of her cousin. Alan Doyle, Lynn's cousin, was one of the lead singers of the band, Great Big Sea. He was on tour with his band right now so Lynn never really got to see him. Well, she never got to see him anyways considering the fact that he lived in St. John's. She hadn't actually seen him since her wedding but he did call her every few months to see how she was doing. He was a great guy that Lynn was proud to call her cousin.

As Kayla's school came into view, Lynn slowed her car to a stop. She was looking forward to seeing her sister again. It had only been about seven hours but Lynn missed Kayla. The only thing that she didn't look forward to was telling Kayla that she hadn't found a job yet. She reclined her seat and leaned back and let out a long sigh. Today hadn't really gone as she planned.

Lynn jolted forward as she heard something bang into the side of the car. She shot a glance over at the passenger's side window to see Kayla smiling brightly. Lynn rolled her eyes and put her seat back up straight whilst Kayla got inside.

"So, how was school?" Lynn asked as she started up the car.

"It was really good! I got perfect on my geography test!" She proclaimed excitedly.

"Really? That's awesome Kayla! I think that you should pick what we have for supper and dessert in celebration of your accomplishment." Lynn suggested while making it seem as if Kayla passing this test was the most amazing thing in the world.

"The really yummy pizza lasagna that you make and milkshakes!" Kayla replied excitedly.

Lynn laughed as they headed down the road to leave the town. "Alright, pizza lasagna and milkshakes it is!"

It wasn't long before the two sisters got home. As soon as they got into the driveway, they jumped out of the car and made a mad dash for the house. Lynn quickly unlocked the door and ran in with Kayla following her. They both went right to work and got all of the ingredients needed for the lasagna.

Pizza lasagna was one of Lynn's creations after she had gotten bored one day. She was in a very childish mood and her husband suggested that they have lasagna one night. The result turned out great and it became one of Lynn's favourites. It also became one of Kayla's favourites when she tried it for the first time. The lasagna itself consisted of pasta, pizza sauce, pepperoni and cheese; lots and lots of cheese.

Lynn started putting the lasagna together when she heard a shriek come from Kayla. She turned to see her little sister looking into the fridge freezer with horror.

"Kayla, what's wrong? What's in the freezer?" Lynn stood up and took a few steps forward.

Kayla turned to her, horror still etched on her face. "We have no ice cream! How are we supposed to have milkshakes without ice cream?"

Lynn slapped her forehead before letting herself sink back into her chair. With the expression that was on Kayla's face, she thought that there was a dead frozen kitten in the freezer or something else along those lines. But no, there just wasn't any ice cream.

"Don't worry, Kayla. We can go get some after dinner."

Kayla seemed to be reassured by that so Lynn went back to putting the lasagna together. After a few minutes, it was ready to go into the oven. Lynn stood up from her chair and brought the pan containing the pizza lasagna to the oven and then quickly slid it in.

"Alright, it'll be done in about forty minutes, okay?"

Lynn watched as Kayla nodded happily. She loved it when her sister was happy. It seemed as if nothing could ruin this night. After Lynn thought that, the phone rang. Her eyes lit up and she ran over to the phone. Had Billy found a job opening for her? Was her life about to turn for the better? She picked up the receiver and greeted the person on the other line.

It was Mark.

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Holy crap! This was a lot longer than I expected it to be! Dx Oh well. I got a lot of information in there and Lynn and Marluxia have finally met. Oh, and I had to add in that little bit of information concerning Great Big Sea. They're my favourite band and inspired me to write this story. And for anyone who is familiar with Great Big Sea and their music, you'll find that a certain song on their CD "Sea of no Cares" fits very well with this story. It was completely unintentional as well. O.o Anyways, leave me reviews and I'll be prompted to write and post the next chapter faster. ♥


	5. A Little More than Awkward ::Part Two::

My gosh! I've finally updated my story! …And made a name for Lynn's husband. But you'll find out what that is when you read this chapter. Anyways, you'll be glad to know that I had somewhat of a push to finish this from Christmas. Santa gave me a sign by sending me three lighthouse related objects. xD Enjoy!

**Lighthouse**

Chapter 5

Written by: Jazlynn

In a rush, Lynn shuffled through her keys as she ran out the door. Kayla was following with a look of sheer curiosity on her face. Once she got to the car, Lynn turned around to face Kayla.

"I'll be gone for about half an hour, okay? Mark needs to see me right away and I can also get the ice cream when I'm in town. I might also be brining someone home with me so I want you to tidy up the house a little bit, alright?"

Kayla nodded and Lynn watched her run back to the house. Was there anything else that she needed to be told? Oh, yes, there was! "Kayla, don't go near the stove and don't answer the door or pick up the phone for _anyone_, understand?"

"Okay, Lynn." Kayla promised whilst nodding again.

Lynn breathed a sigh of relief when her sister got back into the house and disappeared behind the door. It wasn't like Mark to ask her for such large favours but, she was willing to make the sacrifice if it would help her father's old friend. Quickly, she hopped into her car and shoved the key into the ignition. She really hoped that Kayla would be alright at home alone. Technically, she wasn't supposed to leave her at home but… it would be stupid to leave the stove unattended and if worst came to worst, Kayla knew exactly how to take care of herself. She was a lot smarter than the average six year old. Lynn found it quite interesting that Kayla had been able to stay so focused in her school work after their parents died. Lynn was a wreck and was amazed by Kayla's perseverance. Perhaps that was one of the reasons why she had been able to cope with her husband's and father's death so well.

The car started and soon Lynn was on the road towards the town. As the scenery passed by, Lynn began to wonder what kind of man she was inviting into her home. Mark said that he had been stranded out in the middle of the sea and that he couldn't remember much. Was that really the case or was this man a liar that would hurt her and Kayla. Doubt and fear began to cloud her mind as she drove. She wasn't quite sure if she should do this anymore. Then again, would Mark allow some shady guy to live with her? It wasn't likely. Perhaps she was just jumping to conclusions and this really was a helpless guy in need of a place to stay. Well, Lynn would have to be the judge of that when she would meet this man.

A smile graced her lips as the town came into view. The town wasn't what caught her gaze though. Slowly, her gaze fell upon the lighthouse by the seashore. She loved the lighthouse more than anything else around this place. It gave her a sense of peace and hope. She would have to drop by there sometime. She used to make frequent visits there before her mother died. Since then, she'd been busy taking care of Kayla and her work schedule was crazy. Then again, the work schedule of a chef was always crazy.

Lynn yawned as she drove into town. It was 5:30 so she really didn't have a need to be tired. Then again, she'd been running all over town today in search for a job. She really hoped that a job opening would appear somewhere. As she eyed Billy's grocery store, she wondered if she should drop in. She needed to get ice cream and it would also give her the chance to see if he had heard any news about a job opening. But if she got the ice cream first then there was a chance that it would melt on the way home. With that in mind, Lynn decided to pass the store and head down to the pier. She was also very curious to meet the man who would be living with her for the next couple of days.

As she neared the pier, she looked around for any people. She spotted Mark's boat which made her smile. He was back from sailing the beautiful sea. Mark was lucky. His wife was even luckier. She got to embrace him when he came back from the accident and she had him by her side since then. Apparently, Lynn only had back luck when it came to the accident. Somehow, she managed to lose her husband, her father _and_ her mother. As she reached the dock, she brushed the thought off and hopped out of her car. She found Mark standing by his boat and she ran over to him with her arms wide open. He gave her a smile and then embraced her as she neared him.

"Lynn, how are you?"

"I'm good. I am also desperately in search of a job because Mr. Brown is an ass and I decided to quit." Lynn smiled in a cynical yet playful manner as she spoke about her old boss. But why was she thinking about him when she had someone completely new to think about? "So where is the unlucky fellow who gets to put up with my sister and I?"

"Right here."

Lynn's eyes widened with shock and denial as she heard the voice. No way… She looked over to the boat to see the brown haired man whom she had met earlier jump down onto the dock from Mark's boat. He didn't look particularly pleased when he saw her and Lynn knew exactly why. Hell, she'd be embarrassed as well if she pissed off some person who she didn't know she'd be living with. Then again… he didn't look embarrassed. Something seemed off about his eyes. Lynn couldn't detect any emotions within his eyes whatsoever. It confused her how so much emotion was evident on his face but… not in his eyes.

"This here is Liam. He's the one I told you about."

Lynn gave 'Liam' a dirty look before making her reply in the bitterest voice she could muster. "I'm sorry, Mark but, I think I'll have to pass."

Lynn watched as Mark rolled his eyes. He walked forward and grabbed her arm and started pulling her away. Frankly, she was confused. It wasn't everyday when her father's best friend pulled her aside as if he were going to take the role of scolding her. Well, it turns out that he just wanted to talk to her.

"Why don't you want him te live with you, Lynn?" He asked in a disappointed voice.

"Because I don't trust him and he looks too much like…" Lynn found herself tongue tied. She didn't want to compare Liam to her husband. She didn't even want to mention that. She knew that Mark would force her to finish her sentence if she didn't continue to speak so she bit her lip and breathed out a long, heavy sigh before continuing. "…he looks too much like Matt."

Mark look at Lynn skeptically while shaking his head slowly in disapproval. "Lynn, I really thought that you were past all that. And speaking of Matt, what would he want you te do? Suppose he had survived that wreck and was at some foreign shore and was in need of help like this young man? Wouldn't you want for someone te help him out? Really, it's not like I'm asking you te marry the guy—just show him some hospitality."

Lynn looked down at the wooden planks of the dock and shifted her weight from foot to foot. Mark had her exactly where he wanted her. He had guilt tripped her and she was giving in. With a deep sigh, Lynn slowly walked back over to Liam. She looked up into his emotionless blue eyes, not really believing that she was doing this. "Alright, let's go. My sister has been home alone long enough."

With that, Lynn turned on her heel and started walking back to her silver sports car. This would turn out to be very interesting. Somehow, she just knew that Liam would change her life. For better or worse, she had absolutely no idea.

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Marluxia knew that things wouldn't turn out very well the moment he saw the silver sports car head down to the pier. He knew that things wouldn't turn out well at all. Now here he was, sitting next to a girl whom he had accused of being his ex-girlfriend. Well, this was a little more than awkward. Other than the sound of the car making its way up the hill, there was a dead silence between him and Lynn. He couldn't even look at her. She really did look like Theresa, though. Feeling the car stop, Marluxia shifted his gaze from the dashboard to the window. Apparently, Lynn stopped at a grocery store. He looked over at the femme as confusion lined his face.

"You don't live in a grocery store, do you?" He asked in a cynical voice.

As he watched Lynn get out of the car, she turned back to face him with a smug little smile on her face. "Actually, I do. It comes in handy for a chef to live in the back of a grocery store. My husband and I never run out of food."

Marluxia let out a small laugh once Lynn shut the door. She spoke as if she was totally serious but he knew better. Although, there was one thing that bothered him now. Lynn claimed that she had a husband yet she was willing—okay, maybe forced—to allow him into her home. How would her husband react to that? Perhaps Lynn and her husband let castaways live in their house and that's why he was able to stay with them. It would have made sense. Still, something seemed off about this girl. He looked out the window to see Lynn talking to some guy inside the store. It appeared that they knew each other quite well from what Marluxia could see. Was this man her husband? It could have been possible. He continued to watch the two talk behind the doors until Lynn finally left to go further into the store. What did she want to get anyways? As curiosity got the better of him, Marluxia got out of the car and headed towards the grocery store.

Little bells jingled as he pushed open the glass doors and entered the little shop. It wasn't as big as other grocery stores that he had seen in worlds like Twilight Town and Traverse Town but it seemed to contain all of the essentials that a person might need for food. As he walked through the store, he couldn't help but notice the pair of eyes watching him suspiciously. Apparently, the man who had been talking to Lynn earlier wasn't quite fond of him. To keep himself from view, Marluxia walked down an isle just in time to see Lynn passing by the other end. Quickening his pace, he made his way to the back of the store where most of the dairy products were located. He found Lynn peeking in one of the coolers at what appeared to be ice cream. With a half smile, Marluxia wandered over to Lynn's side and peered into the cooler as well.

"So, what do you need ice cream for?" He asked curiously.

"Milkshakes." She replied curtly.

"Milkshakes?" Marluxia replied with a confused tone in his voice.

Lynn glanced up at him and shot him a look as if he was the stupidest person in the world. "Yeah, you know what milkshakes are, don't you?"

"Of course I know what milkshakes are!" Marluxia snapped back. "What I want to know is _why_ you want milkshakes."

As she pulled a tub of vanilla ice cream out of the cooler, she straightened up and turned to face Marluxia. "I promised my sister that we would have milkshakes and she discovered that we didn't have any ice cream."

Marluxia simply watched her and blinked a few times as Lynn turned and walked back towards the front of the store. She was definitely an odd one, that was for sure. With a shrug, he silently followed her down the aisle. As he observed Lynn, he began to notice that she really wasn't at all like Theresa. When he recalled Theresa, he remembered that she would always be cautious when in public and that she was very, very talkative. Lynn, however, didn't seem to talk that much and she seemed to always be calm and collected as if nothing bad could ever happen in this little town. If he focused even harder, he noticed that Lynn was a little bit taller than Theresa. It was strange that he could depict so many differences between two similar-looking women. When focusing on Lynn's appearance and demeanor, he failed to notice that she had stopped walking and soon realized that he had just walked right into her. With sharp reflexes, Lynn swirled around to be face to face to Marluxia and she let out a small yelp. Quickly, Marluxia backed away from her with his hands up in the air.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking clearly!" He quickly apologized.

Lynn simply gave him a funny look and before she turned to the shelf she had been observing before, she asked, "Swallow too much sea water or something?"

"If only..." He muttered under his breath in a sarcastic tone that only he could hear.

Marluxia sighed and watched as Lynn pulled a few bags of candy off the shelf. He raised an eyebrow at the woman's antics but didn't question her motives. Still, he couldn't help but wonder what all of the candy was for. Soon, Lynn was off again and Marluxia, like before, followed her. Lynn had made no more stops before she reached the cash register. Marluxia watched as she gave the man she had been talking to before, a warm smile. At first, Marluxia thought that this might've been her husband but now, seeing the relationship between the two up close, they looked more like good friends. Well, he would probably find out sooner or later. As his thoughts drew to an end, Lynn had greeted the cashier and he in return had acknowledged her. Then Marluxia found that he was dragged into the conversation.

"So, who is this?" The man asked inquisitively.

Lynn smiled before replying. "Billy, this is Liam. He's a castaway and he'll be staying with Kayla and I for a while."

The man now known as Billy mouthed the word 'Oh' and he turned to shake Marluxia's hand. "Hey, I'm Billy. I've been Lynn's friend since she was in high school."

"Hello." Marluxia replied quietly. The Graceful Assassin was amazed by his behavior. Usually, back at the Castle that Never Was, he was talkative and always had a say in things. Now he felt lost for words and realized that he did not do so well with meeting new people. And Xemnas was thinking of putting him in charge of a huge operation at Castle Oblivion? Marluxia pushed the thought out of his mind. He would be just fine at Castle Oblivion. After all, the only new people he would be meeting were enemies. He knew exactly how to deal with enemies. Once again, he was dragged out of his thoughts by the sound of Lynn's voice.

"Alright, thanks Billy! Oh, and be sure to call me if you get an opening!"

"Sure thing. You take care of yourself, now, Lynn." He replied in somewhat of a serious tone.

Lynn smiled mischievously before handing Marluxia a shopping bag and grabbing his free hand to pull him out the door. "And when do I _not_ take care of myself? Surely, you are not speaking off of a basis on how well I can keep my jobs, are you?"

Billy merely laughed as Lynn dragged Marluxia out of the store. Lynn, also, was chuckling to herself. However, Marluxia felt somewhat out of the loop about why they were talking about Lynn losing her job. Surely, if she had a sister to take care of, she _would_ have a job, wouldn't she? But then why would she be asking if there was an opening at Billy's store? When the two of them got into the car, Marluxia figured that he would ask in a subtle-like manner.

"So, why did you ask Billy if his statement was based off your ability to keep a job?"

Lynn laughed dryly at that question but a humor-filled smile graced her lips nonetheless as she started the car. "Well, ahem, I'm not really good at dealing with assholes."

Marluxia smirked. "You got fired?"

"Not officially, no." Lynn stated through chuckles. "I told my boss to 'go suck a lemon' and then left."

Marluxia laughed. Sure, there was no emotion behind the act but he was pretty good at deceiving people. Still, Lynn's little story amused him. "So, you actually _told your boss_ to go suck a lemon? If I said that to one of my superiors, I would be dead!"

Lynn giggled while trying to focus on the darkening road before her. "I don't doubt that. Mr. Brown looked like he wanted to throw me into the oven and roast me with the chickens!"

Marluxia flashed Lynn a dazzling smile when he discovered her occupation. "So, you're a cook, then?"

"Well, I _was_ a cook. It isn't exactly my job anymore."

Lynn looked away from Marluxia and turned the volume of the radio up. Slowly, she began to hum the familiar music of her cousin's band. Marluxia stayed silent beside her as he listened to the interesting song. He found this music quite different from the stuff that Demyx usually played. He kind of liked it, in a way. Well, as much as a Nobody _can_ like something.

"I've never heard this band before." He stated silently.

Lynn glanced over at Marluxia before smiling widely. So, from what Marluxia could tell, Lynn must really like this band.

"The guy singing right now is my cousin." She said proudly. "The band is called Great Big Sea and they're on tour in Europe right now. God, they're so lucky."

Marluxia listened intently to what Lynn had to say about the band and where they were on tour but, there was only one problem. He had no idea where Europe was and he had no idea as to what it was like there. What was even worse was that the way Lynn spoke about it, it seemed like a place that everyone knew about. He couldn't just ask her about it as if it would be a question anyone would ask. Still, he should probably say something so he wouldn't sound like an idiot. Suddenly, he though of a way that he might get some more information about the place.

"So, you've never been to Europe then?" He asked coolly.

Lynn gave Marluxia a skeptical look and answered his question with another. "Have you?"

Marluxia just smiled, pleased that his plan was in effect. "Nope, although I'd love to see it one day."

Lynn sighed contently as she focused back on the road. "When I was young, I always wanted to travel to far away places. I envied my father since he was able to go all over the place when he was sailing. But then, when I married Matt, we planned that we were going to take a cruise to Europe and spend a year there. But then…"

Lynn's voice trailed off and she became dead silent. Marluxia could only watch as the walls that Lynn had taken down for the moment began to build again. She was shifting in her seat uncomfortably and for a quick moment, she looked as if she was about to cry. Marluxia wasn't quite sure about what he was to say. Should he urge her to continue or just stay silent? He didn't want to say something wrong and end up with Lynn crying. The last thing that he wanted was to be the cause of a woman's grief. However, Lynn saved him by continuing.

"Well, some things came up and we had to cancel the trip."

Her voice seemed more guarded now and almost as if it was stone. It really made Marluxia wonder what had happened but he didn't bother to ask. He didn't even have time to ponder the reason when a nearby house caught his eye. From what he could see, there were two floors to the house. The upper floor seemed to be completely dark but there were lights shining through the windows on the main floor. The door was open wide and the figure of a small girl was there, waving. It was then that Marluxia noticed that the car was slowing and that this was Lynn's house. The car came to a stop and Lynn hopped outside to run up to her younger sister. Marluxia followed suit but grabbed the grocery bags that Lynn seemed to have forgotten about.

"Oh, Lynn! She's really pretty!"

The younger female voice alerted Marluxia and he looked around for another girl. There was no one else. When Marluxia realized that Lynn's sister was referring to him, his face seemed to falter. He heard Lynn gasp in shock and he watched as the young girl's face turned to an expression of horror. Within seconds, Lynn was at Marluxia's side with her hands covering her mouth. Personally, he couldn't decide whether she was hiding her shock or a smile.

"Oh my gosh, Liam, I am so sorry!"

Yup—definitely a smile. Marluxia just smiled as much as an insulted person could as he ran his free hand through his auburn hair.

"That's alright." He said calmly. "Any child could make the same mistake, right?"

"I guess that's true."

Lynn let out a long sigh as she let her hands drop to her sides. Marluxia noticed—even in the dark—that her face had a little bit more colour to it now. Was she blushing? Marluxia smirked but didn't make anything out of it. Instead, he lifted the grocery bags so that Lynn could take note of them.

"Where do you want these?" He asked as if the little misinterpretation incident never happened.

"Oh! Here, let me take those." Lynn commanded as she took the bags from Marluxia, really giving him no choice in the matter. "Come with me."

Marluxia obediently followed Lynn into her home and he was met with a quite delicious scent. He remembered that she was a cook and a satisfied smile graced his lips. From the smell, it didn't seem as if this meal would disappoint.

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Lynn smiled cheerfully as she handed out milkshakes to Kayla and Liam. Things had been going surprisingly well with Liam here. Kayla kept talking to him about how well she was doing in school and how she had gotten perfect on her geography test and Liam seemed to be quite interested in what she was saying although he must have been rather bored by her ramblings. Lynn had wanted to get in a few questions about where Liam came from but the two chances she had to ask the questions, the phone rang. The first phone call was just the social worker checking up on them but the second phone call was the exciting one. Alan had called them from the Netherlands to check up on things and brag that he could call them at one in the morning. It was exciting for Lynn and Kayla that they could talk—well, Kayla was only able to really talk through Lynn—to their cousin. It had been well over a month since he had last called. So, when Alan went off the phone to go to bed, Lynn was given her chance to talk to Liam and prod him with questions.

"So, you've seen where Kayla and I live. What's it like where you live?" Lynn asked casually.

Liam breathed in deeply before replying. "Well, I travel a lot so I see many different places but, where I live, it's actually kind of rainy. All the time. It can get kind of depressing at times."

Lynn noted a hint of sarcasm in his voice when he said the word 'depressing' and figured that it must be some inside joke or something. Then again, in a place where it rains all the time, one might just get used to the depression. That must have been it. Yet, when he mentioned traveling, Lynn was instantly drawn in.

"Where do you usually travel?"

Liam flashed Lynn a smile before continuing. "Lots of places. I've been to so many different cities and towns and every place I've been has been incredibly beautiful."

Lynn was amazed that Liam had never been to Europe considering all the places that he claimed to have gone to. Still, Lynn was still curious. "So, what was your favourite place?"

Liam leaned back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling as if wondering which place was his favourite.

"Well," he started, "my favourite place has to be Twilight Town. That place is always lit by a setting sun no matter what the time is. The whole town seems to shine gold and the people there are so… _likable_."

"The way you talk about it, it sounds as if you lived there at one time." Lynn pointed out, hoping that she wasn't interrupting him.

She received a small chuckle from Liam. "Once upon a time, maybe."

"Well, I would very much like to see this Twilight Town one day."

"Maybe you will. One day."

Lynn felt a blush creep onto her cheeks and she looked away from Liam. It amazed her how much Liam looked like Matt and how she could just let down her guard like that. She would have to be more careful to not start treating Liam as if he were Matt. In attempt to search for a distraction, Lynn's eyes fell upon Kayla who looked like she was falling asleep. Come to think of it, Kayla hadn't said a word during Liam and Lynn's conversation. With a sigh, Lynn got up and walked over to her sister's side.

"I think it's time for bed."

Kayla merely nodded in agreement before getting up and walking over to the stairs. Lynn smiled as she watched her sister climb the stairs to go get ready for bed before she turned to Liam.

"I suppose we should figure out sleeping arrangements for you, now, as well."

"Yes, that would be a good idea." Liam replied curtly before standing up.

"Alright, come with me." Lynn commanded before turning back around to head for the stairs.

Like before, Liam followed her obediently. Lynn glanced back at him and realized that he probably had nothing to wear other than the black attire he was dressed in now. Mentally, she sighed about the predicament. She would probably have to lend him some of Matt's old clothes. Then, not only would Liam _look_ like Matt, but he would be _dressed_ like Matt as well.

As she walked down the hallway, she opened a door and glanced inside. It was only the computer room, but there was a futon in there for emergencies like this. So, without further hesitation, Lynn entered the room and set the futon up as a bed.

"You can sleep here. I'll go get blankets for you." She said to Liam as she left the room.

She was beginning to feel more uneasy each minute at the thought of having some stranger staying in her house. Still, she kept trying to remind herself that Mark would _never_ let someone dangerous come into her house. Lynn pushed the whole thought out of her mind as she pulled a few blankets and some spare pillows out of the linen closet at the end of the hall. She wouldn't want someone thinking that Matt was a dangerous person, _if_ he managed to survive the shipwreck. Quickly, she made her way back to the computer room to hand the blankets over to Liam. When she got there, she found that Liam was looking at the two framed pictures on the computer desk.

"Your family?" He asked quietly, not even looking away from the pictures as he spoke.

"Yeah." Lynn replied softly while setting the comforter down on the futon.

She joined Liam and stood at his side before glancing down at the picture he was looking at. In the picture, Lynn's father had Kayla sitting up on his shoulders with her mother and herself on either side of him. They were all standing outside the lighthouse that Lynn passed each time she went to and from the town. She tried to not think of the house that the lighthouse was attached to because it brought back painful memories. That was the house that she grew up in. The lighthouse gave her hope every time her father—and soon after, her husband—went out sailing. They had always come back safely every time. Then the accident happened. To prevent herself from tearing up, Lynn pointed at her father to begin explaining the picture to Liam.

"This was my father," she said pointing out to the large blonde-haired man. She moved her finger over to her mother before continuing. "And this was my mother. My father died about a year ago and my mother ended up letting herself go a few months later. I don't think that she was able to deal with the pain of losing him. I guess the only thing that's kept me here is Kayla. I couldn't possibly leave her all alone."

"Oh. I'm so sorry." Liam quietly whispered.

"Well, it's in the past. It doesn't make sense for a lighthouse to stop shining if one ship crashes, right?"

"I guess that's a positive way of looking at it." Liam looked at Lynn with somewhat of a smile before noting the second picture. "So, is this your husband?"

A knot formed in Lynn's stomach as she forced herself to look at the picture of her and Matt embracing in front of the lighthouse. The picture was taken right after they became engaged. Tears were threatening to come to her eyes but she somehow held them back.

"Yes, that would be Matt." She said more quietly than she had originally intended to.

A frown fell upon Liam's lips as if he were confused about something. "Speaking of your husband, I haven't seen him yet. Does he even know that I'm here?"

Lynn became deathly still as she fought back her tears. Finally, she gave him a reply before leaving the room. "To be honest, I really don't know. He's out at sea right now."

As Lynn walked down the hallway to her room, the tears spilled over the sides of her eyes. She felt somewhat relived that she was no longer with Liam and that Kayla was sleeping. She didn't like having people see her cry. She was supposed to be over the accident. As she entered her bedroom, she silently closed the door and quickly went to go change into her pajamas. Lazily, she flopped down onto her bed and crawled under the covers. She let out a long sigh as she wiped the remains of her tears away. Tomorrow would be interesting. She didn't know if she would be able to bear the pain of realizing that one whole year had passed since the deaths of her husband and her father. So, with nothing else to do but wait for the oncoming day, Lynn simply watched the light from the lighthouse as it scanned over the night's black ocean as she slowly slipped into a state of slumber.

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Wow. That was longer than the previous chapter! o.o Anyways, now that Lynn and Marly have finally met _and_ kind of know each other now, things will start to get interesting. Especially in the next chapter. But you'll just have to wait for that one. ..::laughs evilly::..

Anyways, this is my final accomplishment of 2007! Happy New Year everyone!


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